It's a well-known fact that South Africa's roads are some of the most dangerous in the world, with thousands of people killed in accidents each year. And while you may say to yourself "Yes, but I'm a good driver," it's vital for each and every driver on the road to make a conscious effort to drive safely over the holiday season.

"Each person is responsible for their own safety on the road," says Tertius le Roux of Killarney Advanced Motoring Training Centre, based at Killarney Race track in Cape Town. With over 20 years experience in training motorists to be safer and better drivers, there are a number of things he suggests we each need to do to ensure our safety on the roads this holiday season.

S.I.P.D.E
Learning to recognise potential hazards on the road and avoid accidents is an important skill for each driver to master, and although this is a complex, continuous process, it can be broken down into five basic steps which we should be constantly thinking through while on the road.

  • Scan: the road ahead
  • Identify: any potential hazards
  • Predict: what the hazards are likely to do
  • Decide: what your course of action is going to be
  • Execute: your decision
When driving, train yourself to follow these five simple steps so that you are alert to any potential hazards and are prepared to react quickly and safely to prevent an accident.

Following distance
Insufficient following distance is one of the leading causes of road accidents in South Africa. If you are following too closely behind a vehicle that needs to stop suddenly, you will not be able to react quickly enough in the event of an emergency.

The golden rule for following distance is to allow a "safety cushion" of two seconds between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Watch for the vehicle ahead to pass a fixed object, such as a lamppost, and count "One, save-your-life, Two save-your-life". If your vehicle passes the fixed object before you have finished counting, you are following too close behind and need to increase your following distance. This method works at any speed, as the faster you’re travelling the greater distance you need to allow.

Speed
According to Arrive Alive, speed is a factor in 75 percent of accidents on South Africa's roads. The speed limits on South Africa's roads are 60 km/h in urban areas, 80km/h outside urban areas, but not on a freeway and 120km/h on freeways. Stick to it!

And remember, the faster you go, the harder you'll hit in the event of an accident. Hitting a stationery object at just 100 km/h is the equivalent of falling from a 13-storey building!

Driving under the influence
There is only one simple rule here: don't do it! But if that's not reason enough, consider this:

Anyone convicted of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol can be fined up to R24 000 and/or imprisoned for up to six years. Your licence may also be withdrawn, and you may be banned from obtaining a driver's licence again in the future.

Although you are entitled to not take a breathalyser test, if you refuse to submit to a blood test the authorities have the right to "forcibly withdraw" a blood sample for testing, and any attempt to resist this can be prosecuted as "defeating the ends of justice."

Freeway driving
The increased speed of the traffic on freeways means you need to be extra vigilant when travelling on freeway systems, so bear in mind these five simple points:

  • Avoid driving in other drivers' "blind spots" for any length of time.
  • When travelling in the left lane, be aware of other vehicles merging from the left as they enter the freeway. If there is more than one vehicle joining the road, consider moving to the lane on your right to give them space to merge.
  • When exiting the freeway on an off-ramp, move to the left-hand lane in plenty of time — don't swerve across at the last minute.
  • You are not justified in remaining in the right hand lane simply because you are doing the maximum legal speed limit. There may be vehicles in the right hand lane that have a valid reason to exceed the speed limit, such as emergency personnel.
  • Although driving in the emergency lane is permitted in daylight under certain conditions, following traffic doesn't have the right to force traffic ahead into the emergency lane to allow overtaking.
Stay awake, stay alive
Once you're on the road, make sure that you are fully alert at the wheel at all time. Look for warning signs of fatigue, such as drifting from your lane, difficulty focusing or keeping your eyes open or wandering and disconnected thoughts. Don't rely on "tricks" such as the radio or an open window to stay awake.

If you are feeling drowsy, pull into a safe area away from traffic and take a brief nap. Drink coffee or an energy drink to promote short-term alertness, but remember that it takes about 30 minutes for caffeine to have an effect.

You should take a break at least every two hours while driving, and if you're planning a long journey, rather arrange to stay overnight along the way than to try and squeeze it into one long day. Click here to help you find somewhere to stay along the way.

Remember, safety on the roads is the responsibility of each and every driver. It is only once we all begin to take an active role in driving safely and within the law that the number of accidents on South Africa's roads will start to decrease. Take extra caution over the holiday season: rather take a few hours longer to get to your destination than risk becoming yet another statistic.


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